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Post by Capt’n Ron on Oct 18, 2019 17:35:16 GMT
Hello fellow Jeanneau powerboat owners. I will be up in Cadillac, MI next week for a Jeanneau 795/895 factory tour. I will be meeting with Nick Harvey, Jeanneau NA President and he has asked if I can provide him with some owner feedback.
These are not Nick’s questions, but rather ones I put together so feel free to add your own:
How was your purchase and delivery experience and what could have been done to make it better? What are the top 5 wish list items/features you would like to see added or changed from the factory? How satisfied are you with your boat? (Use 1-5, with 5 being the best) What can Jeanneau do to better your experience?
If you do not feel comfortable replying on this thread, please send me your response in a personal message and I’ll be sure to add them to my list.
I will be providing a follow-up post on this thread after my visit.
Thanks, Capt’n Ron
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dwp
Junior Member
Posts: 18
Jeanneau Model: NC 895
Home Port: Port Orchard, WA
Country: USA
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Post by dwp on Oct 18, 2019 18:50:11 GMT
Off the top of my head:
1) More AC outlets. I think pretty much everyone ends up adding one in the main cabin. 2) A more convenient power switch for the water heater. Currently must turn on/off at the breaker. 3) I believe the fridge is AC/DC but is only wired for DC. If true it would be nice to run on shore power when available and avoid cycling the batteries.
Thank you,
DWP
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Post by Capt’n Ron on Dec 6, 2019 23:59:24 GMT
I was able to visit the Jeanneau North America factory in Cadillac Michigan on October 23rd and I’d like to thank; Nick Harvey - Jeanneau NA president, Andy Gamble - Wellcraft National Sales manager, and Christophe Lavigne - President of Beneteau US Brands for their hospitality and the factory tour. I was extremely impressed by the operations in Cadillac. I thought I was visiting the Jeanneau 795 and 895 factory, but it was actually the Beneteau cruiser factory where multiple boat lines are built; Jeanneau 795 & 895, Wellcraft, Four Winns, Beneteau, Glastron, and Scarab. Seeing the process from mold to assembly and leak testing gave me a good appreciation of the quality and workmanship that goes into these boats. I was particularly impressed with the build up of the hull, support, and decking. These are solid boats! The assembly process is efficient, clean, and they run on a tight schedules. I was able to meet and talk to a number of builders on the line and I can tell you they love their jobs and take pride in what they are building and appreciated the direct feedback. I know many of you had issues last year where your boat got hung up at the factory due to cabinet delays, but I was told they resolved that issue and have been running without delays. We also talked about the shipping delays and much of it has to do with dealers need to ensure they have two boats delivered as the cost of shipping is based on two being shipped at a time. A delay issue they do have is how many boats they can turn out each week given limited capacity based on the number of molds they have. We did talk about custom factory changes and while they can do some things, others like adding additional power outlets can create long delays because the wire harness are pre-made via a manual process. My feedback was while I understand the issue, it’s one of the most requested features and would be good to change the standard harness to include additional outlets (110, 12v, and USB) throughout the boat. Btw, Zipwake trim tabs can be installed as an option at the factory. Keep in mind, custom changes at the factory will impact build time. There were five 895’s and three 795’s in various stages of production as well as many other boats being built. I was able to take photo’s, but I was asked not to publish them on social sites, although I’m following up to see if I can post the hull and deck photos. Seeing the hull and deck construction helps appreciate the quality as well as understanding some of those hidden areas. There have been some discussion on the forum regarding water in the hull. I confirmed it is true the hulls are intended to be dry and the bilge pump is primarily in case of an emergency, thus why there is not an automatic bilge pump setup. Water can still accumulate for various reasons so I check the hull area’s and pump out the excessive water each month (typically less than a gallon) until I get the time to track down the source of where the water is entering. We discussed fuel tanks (size, gage indicators, and vents), boat ventilation, engine size, hull color options, and a number of other features some have mentioned on the forum. As you can imagine my list was long so in the interest of not turning this post into a lengthy read, if you have any specific area of interest feel free to post on this thread or send me a personal message and I will respond to what I found. I’ll also update some other threads where I have updated information. We also discussed owner satisfaction and feedback and I mentioned it would be nice if owners were connected to Jeanneau resources from sales through delivery and ownership. Ranger Tug is a boat manufacture in the Pacific Northwest and they are known for their connection with their boat owners even though they use a dealer channel. I mentioned Jeanneau would do well to establish a similar program. It’s not that owners want to bypass dealers, as that’s an important primary relationship, but having a direct channel with owners will provide feedback to improve their boats as well as establish a trusted relationship. After all, we bought a Jeanneau, not a dealer branded boat! Nick agreed and said he has been working towards a program. I can say this was a great experience and I found the the folks at Jeanneau very passionate about the quality of their boats and care about customer experience and satisfaction. Cheers, Capt’n Ron
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goggoll
Junior Member
Posts: 13
Jeanneau Model: 410 Performance
Yacht Name: Arabella
Home Port: St. Clair Shores, Michigan
Country: USA
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Post by goggoll on Dec 7, 2019 3:42:56 GMT
Hello Capt’n Ron,
don’t be mistaken about Jeanneau’s commitment to quality. In March we did a tour in Marion, SC because we bought a new 389 Sun Odyssey Sailboat. On the tour they pointed out the quality personnel again and again. Unfortunately our boat must have bypassed the quality control. She was delivered in May already with yellowish silicon seams in the head and outside. The electrical installation poor - Raymarine MFD not working (unit had to be replaced), autopilot wired wrong (we did a nice merry-go-round on the first sea trial), squeaking floorboards, the list goes on with so obvious things that almost made us laugh. Seriously?
The only reason we bought another Jeanneau was because our dealer is the best sailboat dealer ever! And we were very happy with our prior 349 Sun Odyssey (french built). Our experience at the Annapolis Sail Boat Show is rather poor - not sure what kind of customer Jeanneau is looking for. Maybe only the “interesting” people from their weird videos which they send in the newsletter? Most likely not a low profile cruising couple from the Great Lakes.
The performance of the boat is great and from afar she looks great but when you get closer you cannot miss these flaws. And you pay a nice sum for these boats. We won’t buy another boat from the Beneteau Group.
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Post by Capt’n Ron on Dec 7, 2019 19:44:13 GMT
Hi goggoll, I get what you are saying and don’t get me wrong, while the factory tour was a great experience the reality is its a manual process to build these boats which makes them prone to mistakes and poor workmanship if not managed and quality checked correctly. What I had seen and sounds like the same for you is it appears they have a quality control process in place, but obviously some things do slip through. Additionally, there are issues that arise from the dealers as well, so to me it’s how they handle all of those issues and is where I have seen a breakdown. This is why I spent a fair amount of time talking to Nick about owner experience and improvements, feedback, and ongoing support.
That’s great you have such a good dealer. Did they get all your issues resolved?
Cheers, Ron
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Post by lynnardm on Dec 7, 2019 20:32:59 GMT
Capt’n Ron
That was a very informative write up. Thanks so much for your efforts. It’s good to hear you felt they are well built boats. I guess once I get all the minor bugs out of my 895 she should be good to go for many years :,) Fortunately our local dealer has been supportive for warranty items. I just wish they could get in those new fuel senders and fix my fuel indication problem. But that’s in another thread :,)
Capt’n Lynn
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Post by ihsan on Jan 18, 2020 2:14:56 GMT
My 795 was built in Poland, probably the only factory in Europe. I wanted to visit the factory but the answer was negative. After delivery, it took me almost two months to find out the flaws and correct them. Not one or two but many. Some of them like water coming from the chain locker section were solved by the dealer, minor ones by me. It is a great boat yes but my understanding is that you must complement it. It was a suprise to receive an e mail from France a few days ago by e mail a standart costumer satisfaction form. I used this opportunity to inform them about my experiences.
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Post by Capt’n Ron on Jan 26, 2020 16:52:58 GMT
Ihsan, my 2016 795 was also built in Poland and I was fortunate I really didn’t have many issues from the factory other than some water leaks and the flaw in the fuel vent. Most of my issues were post factory installation. After seeing the build process I can see where each owners experience could be different as the build is very manual process and could depend on who worked on your boat. One owner found on his 895 the factory never put seals around the back deck hatch allowing water in to the hull, where others experienced water coming in around the front sliding windows due to the window not closing tight enough. This is the kind of feedback Jeanneau needs to hear to emphasize the need to pay more attention to detail, testing, and quality control. That said, it’s still a very solid boat and other boat manufactures have similar issues.
That’s too bad they said no to factory visits. Here in NA they welcome owners to come to the factory for tours.
Cheers, Ron
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Post by alenka on Jan 26, 2020 17:13:18 GMT
I have just read that Discovery Yachts, a brand that probably prides itself as being above the likes of Jeanneau, Benny, Bavaria, etc., has just had to pay out £1.2 million ($1.6 million) for delivering a boat that didn't come up their usual standard. Hopefully, this will send out a message to other builders that ignore customer complaints. The case was brought by a Frenchman who was clearly not impressed by a shrug of the shoulders and a lack of action.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2020 12:54:30 GMT
My 795 was built in Poland, probably the only factory in Europe. I wanted to visit the factory but the answer was negative. After delivery, it took me almost two months to find out the flaws and correct them. Not one or two but many. Some of them like water coming from the chain locker section were solved by the dealer, minor ones by me. It is a great boat yes but my understanding is that you must complement it. It was a suprise to receive an e mail from France a few days ago by e mail a standart costumer satisfaction form. I used this opportunity to inform them about my experiences. Here's my experience with Jeanneau, also built in Poland > jeanneau.proboards.com/post/44162Summary: most of the boat is great, Jeanneau & dealership is awfull, has remained awfull ever since
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goggoll
Junior Member
Posts: 13
Jeanneau Model: 410 Performance
Yacht Name: Arabella
Home Port: St. Clair Shores, Michigan
Country: USA
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Post by goggoll on Feb 8, 2020 19:29:00 GMT
Hi goggoll, I get what you are saying and don’t get me wrong, while the factory tour was a great experience the reality is its a manual process to build these boats which makes them prone to mistakes and poor workmanship if not managed and quality checked correctly. What I had seen and sounds like the same for you is it appears they have a quality control process in place, but obviously some things do slip through. Additionally, there are issues that arise from the dealers as well, so to me it’s how they handle all of those issues and is where I have seen a breakdown. This is why I spent a fair amount of time talking to Nick about owner experience and improvements, feedback, and ongoing support. That’s great you have such a good dealer. Did they get all your issues resolved? Cheers, Ron Hi Capt’n Ron, my question back is: Does Jeanneau expect the dealer to tear out the tainted silicon seals and put new ones in on a brand new boat that had just left the factory? I would advise everyone who ordered a brand new boat to go to the factory for a final inspection and acceptance of the boat before they put it on the truck. And if you see obvious flaws like on ours just don’t pay them. We are worried that when a boat yard now tries to “fix” it that it only gets worse. And that is not a very happy situation for owners of a boat that cost $250,000. Makes you wonder how important customers are for Jeanneau. And I understand that a lot of people are happy with their Jeanneau - we were very happy with our prior Jeanneau, too. That’s why we stayed with that brand. But now we are maximally disappointed about our upgrade and would not recommend it further. And if we decide for a new boat in a couple of years it will be a Scandinavian yacht. And regarding the technical issues, yes, our dealer took care of them. Thanks, Goggoll
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